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Eric Ruth goes crowdfunding route for 'Hauntlings' project
Eric Ruth of Eric Ruth Games has an extensive history of creating de-makes, and now he's branching out to create the original title Hauntlings. Using Indiegogo for crowdfunding, Ruth is seeking $35,000 to create his 2D 2-vs-2 side-scrolling multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game featuring supernatural entities. "I've always had the means to create a free project on my own from beginning to end on my own, however this particular title actually has expenses and I can't afford them on my own," said Ruth in his pitch video. "Unfortunately, I'll need the assistance from my awesome – and very sexy – fan base to complete Hauntlings and make it the very best it can be." Being a competitive online game, it would seem Ruth is seeking to hire some help and cover infrastructure costs. Ruth's previous projects include the Team Fortress 2 arcade beat-em-up and Pixel Force: Halo.
Eric Ruth's Team Fortress Arcade available now
Itching to get your hands on the Team Fortress beat-em-up demake from Eric Ruth? Well, itch no more, as Team Fortress Arcade is now available as a free PC download. Team Fortress Arcade takes Valve's popular shooter and turns it into an old-school, four-player arcade romp, complete with player abilities based on each class' weaponry (everything from turrets to sticky bombs). You can grab it now from Piki Geek (again, it's free).
Team Fortress 2 demade into a 2D beat-em-up
One-man development house Eric Ruth Games has revealed its next project, Team Fortress Arcade, this time turning the first-person antics of Team Fortress 2 into an old-school, side-scrolling beat-em-up. Each character has weapons and abilities consistent with its class in Team Fortress 2. The Demoman, for example, can blast out sticky bombs that explode whenever he jumps, and the Engineer builds turrets that can be upgraded with a few quick whacks of the wrench. Piki Geek landed a hands-on session with the game along with an interview with Ruth himself, which you can see in the video above. Team Fortress Arcade is planned to be released as a free download on the Eric Ruth Games website later this summer.
Eric Ruth's 8-bit DJ Hero remake removed thanks to Universal Music
Here's the absolute dumbest thing you'll read this week: Eric Ruth's totally rad 8-bit de-make of DJ Hero has been removed from his official site following the issuing of a Cease and Desist letter from Universal Music Publishing Group. You can read the somewhat entertaining, genuinely frustrating exchange between Ruth and the Universal representative over on PikiGeek. Hey, man, we totally see where Universal is coming from. We were just about to buy the theme to Ghostbusters on iTunes, but we changed our mind at the last minute -- because we heard half of a mashed-up 8-bit version of the song on a freeware PC game. Eric Ruth contacted us with his comment on the ordeal, explaining that even though he's disappointed, "Between mirroring, uploading, fttps, and torrents, I know that Pixel Force: DJ Hero will live on through the vast reaches of the internet long after Mr Grannis and Universal Music go to bed at night." The legal hurdle didn't seem to break his developmental stride, either -- he added that his next project, Pixel Force: Halo, is well underway, with a trailer planned for later this month and a tentative release window of January 2011. Now, let's just hope this one doesn't have any illicit Ray Parker, Jr. covers.
Pixel Force DJ Hero now a beautiful 8-bit reality
Eric Ruth Games' Pixel Force DJ Hero is no longer just an idle YouTube distraction, something to load up in the background so you can listen to chiptune Joan Jett/Queen mashups while you write Joystiq posts (or whatever it is you do while listening to chiptune mashups). You can now actually download and play the NES-style rhythm game "demake" for yourself! Even better news: Ruth also released a new video, featuring an awesome chip mashup of the Ghostbusters theme and Huey Lewis & The News' "I Want a New Drug." So you have something to listen to a few dozen times if you have some more posts to write (or, again, whatever your job may be) before checking out the actual game.
8-bit DJ Hero remake available now; Ray Parker, Jr. never sounded so good (video)
How would you describe Eric Ruth's 8-bit Pixel Force: DJ Hero game? A clever remake? An artifact from a fictional past? Whatever it is, we're pretty bummed that it's taken this long for mankind to get to the point where we can mix chiptune versions of songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, INXS, and a ton more -- all the while scoring points and watching a little pixelated guy rock the wheels of steel. What are you waiting for? Fire up that PC, hit the source link to download your copy, and see all productivity cease -- just like it has here at Engadget HQ. Video after the break.
